Solved OneDrive Setup on Windows 10/11 is ridiculous!!!

TraderGary · May 2, 2023

glasskuter said:
I beg to differ. This very morning, less than an hour ago, I tried to restart after a driver update and couldn't get past Dell flash screen. I restored a 2-day old image, 15 minutes later and here I am. So, no. Onsite backups are far from pointless. Why anyone messes with any other method of recovery makes no sense to me. I have never reset one of my own systems.

I have a story to tell too. 15 years ago we had a home robbery while we were away. All of Kate's jewelry, all of our electronics, TV's, and computers were stolen along with all backup drives. I panicked. All my data and family photos were gone. I had nothing. Unless your home has been robbed there is no describing the feeling of violation.

I bought a new computer, installed Windows, and the instant I logged in to Windows OneDrive reconnected, and all my data and family photos were instantly there as if nothing had ever happened!

This is why I'm a believer in real-time offsite OneDrive and I will never rely on only one local backup method. By actual experience, I know that I don't really have a sound backup strategy unless one of the methods is offsite.

Haydon · May 2, 2023

glasskuter said:
how many of the 1.4 billion users even know their data may be in onedrive? That's the point. They don't.

Yeah, the masses just blindly follow the path of least resistance ... poof ... 1.4 billion avid users of OneDrive LOL

Dru2 · May 2, 2023

I wonder how many those naysayers actually used OneDrive? Not just bad mouthed it to death.

Anyway, no matter what you say, there's always an excuse by the "I ain't using it no matter what you say" crowd. We heard the same thing when e-commerce came about - I ain't shopping online no matter what anyone says." Today they can't live without it

Cloud computing is here to stay. Go with it or get left behind

pparks1 · May 2, 2023

TraderGary said:
I have a story to tell too. 15 years ago we had a home robbery while we were away. All of Kate's jewelry, all of our electronics, TV's, and computers were stolen along with all backup drives. I panicked. All my data and family photos were gone. I had nothing. Unless your home has been robbed there is no describing the feeling of violation.

I bought a new computer, installed Windows, and the instant I logged in to Windows OneDrive reconnected, and all my data and family photos were instantly there as if nothing had ever happened!

^This.

Dru2 said:
Cloud computing is here to stay. Go with it or get left behind

Yep, i have spent years moving stuff out of our data centers and to the cloud. I've had my email in the cloud for years. I couldn't imagine using email via Outlook anymore.

Edwin · May 3, 2023

Dru2 said:
Cloud computing is here to stay. Go with it or get left behind

Perhaps..., but, I think it would be considerate for them to ask if you want it installed before they go ahead and do so.
Users should have a clear choice from the start.

Haydon · May 3, 2023

Edwin said:
Users should have a clear choice from the start.

Or allow the default installation with OneDrive but make uninstall easy (that way gives people the opportunity to experience OneDrive and who knows, maybe they like it, or not) The point is that even with the excellent tutorial, many can't figure out how to cleanly uninstall OneDrive if they so desire.

It is like Columbus' egg, though, once you know how to do it, it is very easy.

Default installation of OneDrive and clean uninstall thereafter

I am sharing an easy and clean (and the most radical) way to NOT use OneDrive, although non-believers may not want to believe the procedure below, LOL. Anyway, back up your data beforehand if you already have data on your computer. The following was done with a Lenovo laptop with W11 Home. 1)...

www.elevenforum.com

Dru2 · May 3, 2023

Edwin said:
Perhaps..., but, I think it would be considerate for them to ask if you want it installed before they go ahead and do so.
Users should have a clear choice from the start.

Last I checked, they weren't putting a gun to your head and demanding you use it or else. I don't see what the issue is, simply turn it off if you don't want it. And in today's world it certainly isn't hard to find out how to do that. There's also an option to disable auto syncing during the setup process after an OS install. But some simply don't read the screens and wind up missing that step, and then complain later, so...

And as I'm fond of saying, owning a computer is an active endeavor, not a passive one - learn to use what you have, even if you don't want all the features, you could than learn to turn those off. This idea that Microsoft should hold people's hand along each and every step along the way on using their OS is ridiculous.

Anyway, that's my thoughts on the subject so... Movin on.

pparks1 · May 3, 2023

Edwin said:
Perhaps..., but, I think it would be considerate for them to ask if you want it installed before they go ahead and do so.
Users should have a clear choice from the start.

They do mention it during an install of the OS.

SlicEnDicE · May 3, 2023

pparks1 said:
They do mention it during an install of the OS.

View attachment 59300

And even after this screen, on latest Windows 10 at least, you have to sign in and setup OneDrive separately. You can do it from the OD Client in the tray or via Settings main view.

Exactly as I expected it to behave.

My issue earlier was some corruptions in the files locally already residing on the HDD/SSD. After I wiped everything with a fresh setup image, all went smoothly with no unexpected nor annoying behaviour.

glasskuter · May 3, 2023

pparks1 said:
They do mention it during an install of the OS.

Very small letters, huh. And just where do you see on that page the option to NOT use it? My entire argument is the lack of CHOICE. Tap, tap, tap (that's me tapping my foot as I wait an answer from anyone who sees it)

cereberus · May 3, 2023

Dru2 said:
I wonder how many those naysayers actually used OneDrive? Not just bad mouthed it to death.

Cloud computing is here to stay. Go with it or get left behind

Totally agree - take a few minutes to LEARN how to use it properly and it is great. Most naysayers clicked the wrong things LOL.

pparks1 · May 3, 2023

glasskuter said:
Very small letters, huh. And just where do you see on that page the option to NOT use it? My entire argument is the lack of CHOICE. Tap, tap, tap (that's me tapping my foot as I wait an answer from anyone who sees it)

I didn't say they gave you an option, but they do indicate that they are going to use it.

Like anything, with new features, it's in the best interest of Microsoft to enable it and force you to see it. For example, the centered start menu on Windows 11. Nobody asked me if I wanted to use it centered, and I wasn't given a choice about it's placement, it was just now in the center. I can optionally move it back, just like I can stop using OneDrive if I don't like it.

Like I said previously, i think for general purpose people, it's advantageous to have files "Backed up" in this manner. This way when they get a new computer, all of their stuff is just there. They don't have to do anything on their end. I think it's better to just have this functionality work out of the box, and instead force them to turn it off if they "know better" and want to run without it.

Dru2 · May 3, 2023

I know I said, I was out, but....

glasskuter said:
Very small letters, huh. And just where do you see on that page the option to NOT use it? My entire argument is the lack of CHOICE. Tap, tap, tap (that's me tapping my foot as I wait an answer from anyone who sees it)

You were given an answer....

Dru2 said:
There's also an option to disable auto syncing during the setup process after an OS install. But some simply don't read the screens and wind up missing that step, and then complain later, so...

From the Clean Install tutorial - step 20 L...

L) If prompted, click/tap on the Only save files to this PC (recommended) link or Next depending on if you want to use OneDrive or not. (see screenshot below)

clean_install_windows_11_microsoft_account-13-jpg.58105

Also...

pparks1 said:
They do mention it during an install of the OS.

View attachment 59300

The fact that you now take issue with the way it's presented doesn't mean there isn't a choice. The clear fact is you do have a choice. Tapping your fingers doesn't change that.

pparks1 · May 3, 2023

The clean install of 22H2 no longer presents this screen during setup. I just went through it on a VM and didn't get it.

Dru2 · May 3, 2023

It was there when I did a clean install a few months ago. And I've been running 22H2 since release last year.

I'm running the RTM version, NOT Insiders. I also don't do VMs.

Wonder if @Brink knows if this is a recent change or not?

cereberus · May 3, 2023

pparks1 said:
The clean install of 22H2 no longer presents this screen during setup. I just went through it on a VM and didn't get it.

View attachment 59324

Well I just tested it several times. If you set it up with an MS account, you get option to save files to local pc.

If you set it up as local account, you do not get this option, but as local account, user directories are set up to local drives as you would expect.

So everything is working fine.

glasskuter · May 3, 2023

Dru2 said:
You were given an answer....

The last time I went through OOBE on a Windows11 22h2 laptop, that "only save files to this PC" was no longer there.

The post was mean to be flippant; you know..funny HaHa. I am capable of reading the screenshot for myself and see an option is not found. I wasn't asking a question.

On a personal note @Dru2, I do not know what I have said in the past that got me on your bad side. It must have been something from the very first post I made on this forum because ever since your attitude towards me usually comes across as either hostile or condescending whenever our points of view differ, as they sometimes will. But, whatever it was, I sincerely apologize. Know that I truly respect your knowledge and experience and always appreciate you sharing it. My own may not be as extensive, but I do try. As such, I feel my opinions have as much worth as anyone else's. I strive to be respectful of yours and everyone else's whenever our views differ. If I am ever not, please let me know.